From the trenches of World War 1 to the swamps of the Vietnam War, Veterans Day is a holiday to commemorate all the men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces. This holiday, originally known as Armistice Day, takes place on November 11 every year. It was officially changed to Veterans Day on June 1, 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in order to honor all veterans that have served in the United States Armed Forces.

At The Benjamin School, Veterans Day is celebrated each year with a special ceremony held on Kennerly Field. Organized by History Department Chair Mr. Marshall Mullnix, the lower and middle school students are treated to poems, songs, and tunes performed by their fellow students. Although not obligatory, many of the history teachers encourage their students to write and then read their poems aloud to all of those in attendance on the field. “I wanted to recite the poem because I wanted to honor my grandpa because he served in the Vietnam War,” said seventh grader Chloe Jezerinac, one of the students who volunteered to read her poem.

Other middle school students who participated in the ceremony included Mitch Faloona, Caroline Moody, and AJ Paksima. Seventh grader Summer Scott sang a beautiful rendition of our national anthem and God Bless America. “I started singing when I was 4 years old,” said Scott. “Mr. Winters asked me if I would like to sing and I said sure that would be great.” Shortly after Summer sang the national anthem, the Honor Band, consisting of fifth and sixth graders, played “Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa and “Armed Forces March” by Michael Sweeney. The band also played “Taps” featuring the group’s trumpet section.

“I was very pleased with the students’ poems, and that even the third and fifth grade students participated,” said Mullnix. “My father is a veteran, myself I am not one, but I would like to honor their service to our country, so it really means a lot to me,” he added.

When the Benjamin eighth grade students took their annual trip to the Washington D.C. the week before Veterans Day, the students had the opportunity to meet several WWII veterans that served in the U.S. armed forces. Those veterans were flown to D.C. as part of the Honor Flight Network, an organization that “transports America’s veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices,” according to the Honor Flight website (www.honorflight.org). One of the WWII veterans who was on that flight was Theodore Majewski Sr., the grandfather of  eighth-grade student Dan Majewski. The TBS students posed for a photo with him and shook his and the other veterans’ hands, thanking them for their service. “It was really awesome to see the veterans,” said eighth grader Brieanna Pauldo-Devine. “Meeting them just made it so surreal. I loved meeting them.”

As he does every year, Mr. Mullnix closed the ceremony by charging students with a simple but important task: “Next time you see a veteran, make sure you take the time to say ‘thank you for your service’ because every day is Veterans Day.”